Lord Adonis rails against Brexit ‘promises and lies’ at Manchester for Europe meeting
- Discussion panel hosted by Terry Christian followed by live music
- Musicians, activists and Remainers highlight need for young people to 'get more involved in politics'
Former transport minister Lord Adonis was the key speaker at a Manchester for Europe debate hosted by anti-Brexiteers.
Billed as a ‘Brexit fireworks debate’, the event also featured Terry Christian, a collective of musicians known as Rock For Europe, and Young European of the Year Madeleina Kay.
The meeting discussed the possible economic impact of Brexit on Manchester, where 60% of people voted to remain in the EU.
Guest speaker Lord Adonis, ex-transport secretary, spoke about the importance of getting young people to be more politically aware.
“We’ve got to get the people’s vote because the right thing to do with Brexit is simply to stop it. All the promises that have been given to us two years ago have been turning into lies and we’re going to suffer badly if Brexit happens,” he said.
“Getting young people interested in these issues is the key requirement for getting them interested in politics and we don’t do that at the moment. Their futures are more at stake than anyone’s and if people take them seriously, they’ll take the issue more seriously.”
Next up was Boris Johnson impersonator ‘Faux Bojo’, otherwise known as Drew Galdron, who works with anti-Brexit groups across the country staging performance pieces and parody songs.
He said: “Although my songs are fun, the message is very serious. It’s our aim to turn people on to these issues if they’re not very politically active or have spent the last couple of years not accepting the fact that people like Boris Johnson have misled the public.
“My personal concern is that people are in danger of losing their rights and people are generally quite unaware of some issues such as one with the Charter of Fundamental Rights.”
Lynne Barnes, creator of Rock for Europe, said she “leapt at the chance” of performing at the Manchester for Europe event.
“I was so against what was happening with Brexit and felt the public had been manipulated by fascism. I really wanted to put forward what a good thing Europe is, and I was able to get some European musicians to play as a way to vent their feelings and do something positive,” she said.
Also speaking at the event were Professor Michael Dougan, from the University of Liverpool, and Graham Hughes from 3 Blokes in a Pub.